The Blokees Brand Marketing is evolving its event system by 2025 into a comprehensive framework featuring three core components: an online creation competition, an offline Speed Build competition, and a global exhibition of works. Ye Shanshan, Vice President of Blokees Brand Marketing, aims to provide a more complete platform for participants worldwide to create and share their talents, allowing individuals to discover their own stage.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/04/01/tmt-newswire/pr-newswire/blokees-officially-announces-the-launch-of-the-second-season-of-3rd-bfc-creation-competition-breaking-the-cocoon-season/2083875Italian sculptor Giuseppe Penone has donated over 200 works on paper to the Castello di Rivoli in Italy, a significant collection of archival materials related to his notable sculptures and installations in the Piedmontese region. This donation is part of Penone's efforts to start a dialogue through his art, following similar gifts of drawings to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Centre Pompidou in 2020.
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/04/01/giuseppe-penone-will-transform-londons-serpentine-south-into-an-extension-of-its-surrounding-parksHaynes has a history of showcasing his work at Cannes, including the Palme d'Or contender May December in 2023, following notable appearances with Velvet Goldmine in 1998, Carol in 2015, and Wonderstruck in 2017. His documentary The Velvet Underground also screened out of competition in 2021. Notable past winners of the Carrosse d'Or include Clint Eastwood, Nanni Moretti, and Martin Scorsese, among others.
https://deadline.com/2025/04/todd-haynes-cannes-directors-fortnight-golden-carriage-1236356128/The final rehearsal for the Kyoto's spring 'Miyako Odori' geisha dance performance took place on April 1, 2025. The event is a traditional Japanese dance performance that showcases the art of geishas from Kyoto. The rehearsal was held at the Gion Shirakawa district in Kyoto, Japan, where the actual performance will be staged later this spring.
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20250401/p2a/00m/0na/013000cA catalogue raisonné of Lucian Freud's oil paintings, written by Catherine Lampert and Toby Treves, offers a comprehensive look at the life and work of the post-war British painter. The book features nearly faultless forensic scrutiny and includes 566 illustrations. A recent exhibition at the National Gallery marked the centenary of Freud's birth, exploring his enduring appeal to a new generation.
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/04/01/the-trials-and-tribulations-of-putting-together-lucian-freuds-catalogue-raisonneA new exhibition showcases Michelangelo's lesser-known works, including a red chalk preparatory sketch for the Sistine Chapel's "Worship of the Brazen Serpent" section. The catalogue features drawings and letters that reveal the artist's creative process, such as his draughtsmanship, which is highlighted in a book about his life and works. A scholar discovered a sketch of Michelangelo in the margin of a 15th-century edition of Dante's Divine Comedy, while another expert, Grant Lewis, curated the exhibition.
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/04/01/april-book-bag-from-a-new-angle-on-michelangelos-sistine-chapel-to-the-re-issuing-of-bell-hookss-art-essaysArtist O'Connor's work combines elements of portraiture, landscape, and still life, emphasizing deep observation and engagement with his subjects. His direct portraits feature unguarded gazes, while landscapes painted en plein air in Los Angeles capture the transient nature of place. The artist's use of time and sustained attention imbues his works with psychological intensity, as seen in Eaton Canyon Unfinished, where a painting was left unfinished after its subject was lost to the 2025 Eaton Fire. O'Connor's still-life "table paintings" feature recurring motifs that blur distinctions between past and present, suggesting presence as an evolving state. His works, such as those in Flame of Vapor, unfold over time, revealing how painting warps, erodes, and reconstructs its subjects through prolonged observation.
https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/painting/kent-o-connor-flame-of-vapor/A new book, "Artists of the Middle East: 1900 to Now" by Saeb Eigner, explores Iraq's diverse art scene and Tehran's Saqqakhaneh school of the 1950s. The book delves into the lives and works of artists such as those influenced by the pivotal Saqqakhaneh school, which had a lasting impact on the region's artistic landscape.
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/04/01/new-book-looks-at-the-shaping-of-modern-art-in-the-middle-east-beyond-politics-and-warOdia cultural heritage has been recognized globally by UNESCO. The Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's apex cultural body, has listed Rath Yatra and Bali Jatra from Odisha in its National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Rath Yatra, a festival celebrated in Puri, is the annual journey of Lord Jagannath and his siblings to the Shree Gundicha Temple, attracting millions of devotees worldwide. Bali Yatra, a historic festival in Cuttack, commemorates Odisha's rich maritime heritage and ancient trade connections with Southeast Asia.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/odisha/odishas-rath-yatra-bali-yatra-find-place-in-centres-intangible-cultural-heritage-list/article69399255.ece